Flight oneshot
by thumbelina0719
Summary: This is a oneshot from later in the storyline of Daybreak. Kind of a sneak preview, if you will.


**AN: This is a one-shot from later in the plotline of Daybreak. I've been working on a lot of the later storylines, they are just more clear to me right now. Snarky Bella is out in full force in this one, but she's allowed...**

As I slowed down to turn into our apartment complex, I glanced at the clock on my dashboard. 4:52. I had deliberately dawdled at work to avoid coming home to Jacob, but I felt a flutter in my stomach as I approached our place and scanned for his car. Despite my intentional lateness-I could have been home an hour ago-I was disappointed when I didn't see Jacob's car in the lot.

I hated fighting with Jacob, I thought as I walked into our empty apartment, but this was the part that I hated the worst. The part after the self-righteous anger passed, and doubt that I might be wrong, or just broken, started to creep in. The part where I mostly wanted to make up, but wanted him to make the first move. The part where I participated in stupid girl behavior like staying at work just long enough that I would arrive home at the exact time Jacob needed to leave. As if I expected him to wait later than usual in hopes that I would arrive at that exact moment. Almost three years I had been with Jacob, and I still fantasized about him having Edward's romantic timing.

I quickly got off that thought train and rummaged through the refrigerator for a snack. I grabbed some cheese and crackers and a ginger ale, and flopped onto the couch. I grabbed the remote and flipped through the channels. After the day I had had, I just wanted to watch some trashy girl TV. I found a rerun marathon of Desperate Housewives-perfect! The late afternoon passed while I zoned out in front of the TV. The sun had set, but I hadn't moved from my spot, so the room was eerily dark when I was startled from my near doze by a key turning in my lock.

After I nearly jumped out of my skin, a happy calm spread through me as I realized Jacob must be coming home from work very early. If he had gotten off this early and was still angry with me, he would have gone somewhere else instead of coming home.

.....

Well, it would be nice if the world worked like that. Clearly my unrealistic, romantic expectations are a well established issue for me, but in this case, was it really so out there to think that it would be Jake, the only other person who lives here, coming through the door?

Apparently, extremely unrealistic. As the door swung open my hope turned to intense frustration as I saw that Edward, not Jacob, stood behind it. I had never given him a key to my apartment, but nothing from Edward could surprise me anymore. I subtly took a deep breath. I was never _fully_ in the mood for Edward's games-I figured out a long time ago that it was a bad idea to play a game that I didn't know all of the rules to (However, most times Edward excited me, although I never would have admitted it out loud). Today I was REALLY not in the mood for his games, but letting him realize that would just make him more determined.

I took a step back and folded my arms, waiting for Edward to say something. He knew Jacob was gone at work, so I expected him to invite himself in and turn on the charm, but he just stood there at the door. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, looking nervous. It wasn't what I expected, but not enough for me to let my guard down.

After 30 seconds of staring at each other like the nervous teenagers we once were, I sighed and decided to bite. Even though I knew the truth, Edward still called all of the shots in our "non-relationship". Whatever he was up to, I was along for the ride, whether I wanted to be or not. I guiltily remembered back to the weekend before my 21st birthday, where Edward had shown up with no discernible ulterior motive and taken me out and treated me better than anyone ever had. As soon as I processed that thought, I felt a second wave of guilt for that thought, which felt like a betrayal to Jacob and even Charlie.

"Edward, what are you doing here?" I asked him. Regretting my choice of words, I added in a softer tone, "it's been a while..."

"Bella," was all he said, and the confident mask slipped. The strain was evident in his voice and his eyes pleaded with me. Either he was genuinely stressed out and afraid, or he was a good actor. Although there were plenty of legit reasons for the former, the latter was just as likely with Edward.

"I'm sorry," he continued, not moving from the threshold. What was his deal?

"You're going to have to be more specific," I quipped.

Edward smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "I'm not apologizing on my behalf today," he said carefully, watching my reaction.

"Then whose..." I trailed off as an idea occurred to me. It was an unlikely theory, but then again, it was a pretty good explanation for why he was here. I felt a pit in the bottom of my stomach. My limbs felt weak. I couldn't even remember what Jacob and I had been fighting about less than twelve hours ago, it wasn't important now. I blinked my eyes, wishing it was he who had walked through the door, horrified that I had wasted time at work to avoid him.

Edward nodded, seeing the recognition in my eyes. "Bella, I'm so sorry, but its time. We have to run," he said, confirming my fears. He sprang to action, striding into my apartment and closing and locking the door. He made a beeline for my closet and began tearing through it, packing a suitcase for me. He threw sneakers, my favorite pair of jeans, and a dark purple hooded sweatshirt at me. "You need to change, we may need to be on foot and I want you to grab sleep in the car," he said.

I was reeling, processing it all. "It has to be right now? What happened? Edward, I can't..." I trailed off.

He looked at me sympathetically, but kept packing. "Bella, you always knew this was a possibility. I told you to be prepared," he continued in a clipped tone, and then added softly, "Don't worry Bella, everything will be taken care of."

I stood in the doorway of my bedroom, shell-shocked, watching Edward Cullen tear through my room, and tears filled my eyes as the true depth of the situation hit me.

"Oh Bella," he cried, and crossed the room to hug me tightly, "I PROMISE that you will be safe with me," he asserted, misunderstanding my tears.

"It's not me I am worried about!" I corrected him. "I can't just vanish into thin air. People will ask questions when I am not at work. What am I going to tell Jake? And Charlie? You think Jake isn't going to look for me if I vanish into thin air? You think this wouldn't be the first place the soldiers would look? They'll torture my family for information!!!"

Edward winced at the inclusion of Jake in the word family, and sucked in a breath melodramatically. We both knew he didn't_ need_ it. I glared at him, waiting for him to answer my questions. He tilted his head to the side and looked at me from under his eyelashes. I was a sucker for that look, even though it almost never preceded something I wanted to hear.

"Bella, you need to worry about your safety. I spend a lot of time and energy trying to keep you alive, which I would like to believe means SOMETHING to you," Edward lectured me, looking hurt.

I quickly blew out all of the air in my lungs. It was a potentially life or death situation, and still our priorities were different. "Edward, of course I appreciate that. I trust you to keep me safe," I placated him, "which is why I am not concerned for myself. But I am concerned for all of the people in my life. Please tell me the plan," I continued, trying to stay calm and collected. Getting emotional would not help now.

"Bella, we have to move. I WILL explain everything in the car. I know I have kept you in the dark on a lot of details, but the time for that is past. Time...is of the essence right now."

He crossed the room, closed my suitcase and zipped it, and started toward the living room. He opened my laptop and started typing furiously. I rolled my eyes. Of course the fact that my laptop was password protected was zero detriment to him. I quickly ducked into the bathroom and changed. "Why bother to take time to pack my things and do....whatever you are doing now?"

I walked into the living room, "What _are_ you doing?" I asked again. "I thought we were in a hurry?"

"I'm tying up those loose ends," he replied dryly. I heard the printer start spitting out pages. He rolled my suitcase to the door, and grabbed all but one of the pages off the printer.  
"Come on Bella, we have to get out of here. I was only about an hour ahead."

I nodded mutely, suddenly trusting him. I started toward the printer, and he shook his head at me.

"That one is for Jacob," he said softly, apologizing, "he needs to see that. And there's an email open on your computer, too" He turned the papers in his hands toward me. I read the words on the paper and teared up again as I processed the information. Realization struck me. This is why he took the time to pack my things. This is how Jacob, my family and friends would be safe. It was the ultimate betrayal.

"We aren't really going there, are we?" I asked him, sadly.

Edward shook his head. "No, but it would be fun. Although, we should, with a paper trail this obvious, the guard would think it was a diversion."

"Where _are_ we going to go?"

"We'll talk in the car," he said simply, holding the door open for me, looking away. He knew me well enough to know I was going to cry. I took one last glance around the apartment, wondering when and if I would ever see it again. I wasn't sure what plans Edward had in place to keep the Volturi from following us, but I knew that Jacob and my father would not look for me. I closed it behind me and locked it, trying to imagine anything but the pain on Jacob's face when he discovered the paper on the printer. The e-receipt confirming one-way, first class plane tickets for Edward Cullen and Isabella Swan to Las Vegas. I made it into Edward's car and buckled my seat belt before the tears started to fall.


End file.
